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California native had Park City in mind for years

Steve Phillips, The Park Record
Steve Scott retired to Park City in 2011 after a 38-year career in management with Parsons Corporation. The southern California native is an avid skier and mountain biker.
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By today’s standards, Steve Scott is an anomaly. He took a job straight out of college and stayed with the company for almost 40 years. Who does that? Well, If the shoe fits

Scott, who retired in 2011 and promptly moved to Park City, was certainly not a clock-watcher. Those 38 years as a project manager with California-based Parsons Corporation were characterized by a nonstop odyssey of far-flung travel and intriguing challenges.

Scott was born and grew up in La Crescenta, Calif., a quaint little town nestled at the base of the Angeles Crest National Forest, near Pasadena. Growing up in the 1950s and coming of age in the mid-1960s, he bore witness to the halcyon days of southern California. The son of a tool-and-die maker at Lockheed and a stay-at-home mom, Scott describes an idyllic childhood. "I learned to ski at a little ski resort about 45 minutes away called Mt. Waterman, which I still have great affection for."



He recalls summer vacations at a little cabin near Lake Arrowhead and remembers with "great fondness" trips to his aunt and uncle’s home near Yreka, in northern California. "My aunt was a delightful woman and my uncle took me fishing on local streams, where we caught native trout. He had a wonderful sense of humor and kept me laughing all the time." Scott credits them with instilling in him an abiding love of the outdoors.

After high school, Scott attended Glendale Community College and went on earn a bachelor’s degree in business administration from California State University, Northridge. He financed his college education working as a furniture mover and a shoe salesman at Sears.



Sheepskin in hand, Scott weighed his options. At the trailing edge of an era when men went to work for a company and simply stayed there, he was looking for job stability and opportunities for advancement. He got the job at Parsons Corporation in 1973.

He moved steadily up the ladder there, rising from an entry-level purchasing agent to project manager. Adept at managing complex and varied enterprises, his job took him all over the United States and several other countries. He was on the management team during construction of a gas reinjection plant on the North Slope in Alaska as well as several schools in Las Vegas, Nev. He was a consultant to the city of Los Angeles during reconstruction projects after the Northridge earthquake in 1994 and was even involved in construction management of a refinery in North Korea.

His last move before returning home was to Indiana for his most unusual and dangerous project. "I went to an Army Depot in Newport, where we chemically disposed of aging containers of nerve agent, kept in storage since the end of the Cold War," he explains. After that project, Scott returned home to La Crescenta. Nearing retirement, he once again weighed his options. Where would he most want to live? Though married and divorced, he had no children to complicate the decision.

An avid downhill skier, Park City was a bright blip on his radar screen. He had skied here many times and loved the town — even had a condo in Prospector Square. Soon after he retired on Nov. 11, 2011 (11/11/11), he moved here. "I really love living in the mountains with all its beauty and recreational activities."

Scott soon purchased other condos in Prospector, Sunpeak and lower Deer Valley. A few months ago he and his partner bought a house together in Silver Springs. "She’s a delightful woman," he gushes. "We met playing tennis and share similar interests in skiing, biking, hiking and the enjoyment of the outdoors."

The move to Park City, mecca for orthopedic surgeons, proved timely for Scott. Well into his first ski season here, he got the bad news that he needed both knees replaced. Last spring and summer were consumed by dual surgeries and rehab. With new knees this winter, he’s been making good use of his Deer Valley season pass. Unfortunately, he recently leaned he needs a new right hip as well, a procedure he’ll likely undergo this spring.

"My goal now is to fully recover from these surgeries so I can pursue the activities I love to the fullest. I still intend to play in some senior tennis tournaments, of course keep skiing and mountain biking. I also want to get back into fly fishing and maybe a little golf," says Scott.

In spite of short-term physical challenges, Scott has settled comfortably into his new hometown. "I like living in an environment where the local folks are health conscious and enjoy outdoor activities. I’m passionate about the good friendships I am so fortunate to have here. It was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream to live at a ski resort."

 

VITAL STATISTICS:

 

  • Favorite activities: skiing, biking, tennis, outdoor concerts
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  • Favorite foods: fresh vegetables, fruits, fish and eggs; homemade bead and pastries; Thanksgiving turkey dinners
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  • Favorite reading: nonfiction and humor, especially Mark Twain
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  • Favorite music: 1960s and ’70s — Roy Orbison, Fleetwood Mac, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and the Beatles
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  • Animal companions: Banjo, a King Charles Cavalier spaniel

 

 


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